The Eternal Bond of the Tiger
by James of Vale
Summary: One year since their Reunion at Ryuuji's Graduation, the engaged couple of 2 years are just starting to start their lives together. Ryuuji and Taiga work hard to make their dreams a reality. Things seemed to be going well when tragedy strikes, as Ryuuji comes down with a serious illness. How will Taiga cope with his declining health and how will she help him recover? Ryujji-X-Taiga
1. Chapter 1: The Fall

**Eternal Bond of the Tiger**

**A/N: Hello all, I haven't been back to the writing scene in a long time. But I'm making my return with a whole new "Toradora!" Fanfic. I hope you'll enjoy! Please read and submit your reviews! Toradora and all character herein are properties of their respective owners. I own nothing but the original plot for this story.**

**Chapter 1: The fall**

It has been one year since their reunion at Ryuuji's graduation. Ryuuji now works part time at the bakery that he and Taiga had worked since 2 years ago. He continues to work nearly to the bone to bring back a decent income to cover his tuition out of his own pocket. He also is in a cram school, in preparation for making the step to get into the college of his choice. He knew he had to attain a degree in order to fulfill the dream of taking care of Taiga. He and Taiga had announced their engagement officially since spring of that year. Taiga had moved back into her old apartment and now currently is in the same cram school, studying hard to try to match the same college with Ryuuji. Yuusaku Kitamura is now in the United States, attending a college of high reputation. He comes back to japan to visit his friends and family as often as he could. Minori Kushieda on the other hand, is at a well renowned university in Kyoto with a magnificent athletic program. Ami Kawasumi is currently modeling in the United States, her photographs on every cosmopolitan magazine across the 50 states.

On this cold October evening, Ryuuji is just completing the last task for the evening at his workplace. "Takasu-san, thanks for staying longer than usual, I appreciate your hard work!" His boss said as they worked to clean up and close up for the night. "Sometimes I feel like you're going to work yourself to death. If you need to take a day off, don't hesitate to ask me." Ryuuji just nodded and went back to cleaning up the place with vigor. Seeing his employee work so hard as always, the manager just sighed. He then looked at the clock and looked back at Ryuuji. "Takasu-san, It's about half past 8 right now. I'll be able to take it from here. Why don't you head home? I'm sure Aisaka-san will be worried if you stay too long."

Ryuuji put down the cloth and looked back up at his boss. "Are you sure, boss?" The manager nodded his head. "Alright, thanks. I'll see you tomorrow after classes then." With that, Ryuuji went into the changing room and prepared to change out of his baker's uniform. As he took off his shirt, the drafty cool air chilled him for a bit. After putting on his shirt, for a moment he felt dizzy and his vision blurred for a bit. Grabbing onto a locker to stabilize himself, he shook his head for a moment. "I must be more tired than I thought." He said to himself as he resumed putting his clothes on and grabbing his backpack, he slung it over his back. "Good night!" He said as he waved at his boss and walked out the front door. The cold October air chilled him to the bone. "Brrr…better get home quickly, I don't want to upset Taiga. After all, I bet she still expects me to cook her dinner. Heh, silly tiger." He smiled as he thought of her, and started the walk home.

Taiga was sitting in the living room, keeping herself warm with the kotatsu, watching a tv show on Ryuuji's television. She looks around her surroundings and smiled. "_I've been back in town for a year now, and every time I come over, I can't shake the fond feelings of this place. It still gets me."_ She thought as she started to remember all the good times she spent in the Takasu residence. Looking towards the kitchen, she recalled the image of Ryuuji slaving over the stove, cooking up her favorite dishes in the past. She then looked up at where the birdcage was. "_You know, that bird was ugly, but I was fond of it. It's such a shame it passed on during the summer."_ She looked up at the clock and notices it starting to get late. "He sure has been working late the last couple days." She muttered. She let out a sigh as she went back to her television show. Her eyes started to droop a little as she started to fall asleep. The sound of the front door opening jolted her awake as she looked towards the hallway.

"I'm home!" Ryuuji said as he closed the front door, and started to take his shoes off. He noticed Taiga's shoes were in her usual spot. "_Guess she's here waiting on me, like I thought."_ He looked towards the living room as she came out to greet him. They embraced briefly and had a quick kiss. "Sorry that I'm working late again Taiga." He watched her smile for a bit when the audible sound of their hungry bellies pierced the silence. "I'll get to work in preparing dinner right away. Do you want tonkatsu with curry tonight? I'll make your curry sweet as always." She nodded and he put his coat in his closet and washed his hands and started the stove.

Taiga helped him by rinsing the grains of rice and placed it in the rice cooker like how he had shown her in the past. As she helped him with the cooking, she heard him ask her how class was today. "It was kind of boring as always. It was not really exciting without everyone there, especially you." She said as she started to chop the onions. "I really miss Minorin…"

Ryuuji was putting batter on the pork loins as he listened to Taiga talk about how she missed the days when everyone was all together, and how she wished she and Ryuuji had the same schedule for their cram school. Half way through her talking, he felt that surge of dizziness and blurry vision again. He then began to be distracted.

"Are you listening to me?" She muttered a little annoyed when he stopped responding. She looked over at him and noticed something was odd. He appeared to have stopped in his tracks, appearing a little bit trapped in a trance. "Ryuuji?" He didn't answer back but he started to blink profusely for a while. "Ryuuji? Are you okay?"

"Are you okay?" He heard her ask for the second time, as he came back to his senses. His vision cleared up again and he turned his face to her . "Huh? Oh yea…I'm okay. I just felt a little bit tired. Sorry I didn't catch what you were saying." He went back to putting batter on the raw pork, thinking to himself. "_What was that?"_ He became distracted as the frying pan was starting to bubble a lot with hot oil. "_That was the second time I felt that sensation…what's going on? Probably nothing. Or probably is something…"_ "RYUUJI!" He heard his name being called out loud again as he snapped back to his senses and noticed the pan was starting to bubble over with hot oil. "Oh shit!" He muttered as he shut off the flame.

The two of them finished cooking dinner, with Ryuuji having some hiccups along the process. They set the table and set aside a portion in the fridge for Yasuko to have when she returns from work in the morning. Taiga said her thanks and picked up a piece of the fried pork and bit into it. She noticed the breading wasn't seasoned as good as he usually does. "What the?" She muttered as she swallowed the food. "Are you sure you okay? You've haven't been acting like yourself since you've started cooking." She asked him as she watched him take a few small bites of his meal. "Ryuuji?" He didn't seem to hear her. She called his name again and this time he noticed her and just replied quickly.

Taking another small bite, Ryuuji suddenly felt full as he placed his chopsticks down. "I think I'm just not in a good appetite tonight." He said as he looked over at Taiga. He started to sweat a little bit and his face started to turn a little pale. "I hope the tonkatsu wasn't that bad." He said to her. He was about to say another word when he suddenly felt nauseous and got up quickly and ran to the bathroom and knelt in front of the toilet, throwing up what little bit of food he just ate.

Seeing him run off and throw up in the bathroom worried her as she stood up to go see if he needed anything. "Ryuuji? You okay? Need some water? Want me to get some medicine?" She asked as she see him put his hand up to say he is alright. She bent down to help him up and she briefly grabbed a cloth to help him wipe his face. Her fingers briefly came in contact with his forehead and she pulled her hand back in shock. She put her hands back on his forehead and was really worried as his forehead felt very hot to the touch. "You're burning up!" She screamed as she looked at him worriedly. She looked into his eyes as they started to roll back into his head as he passed out. "Ryuuji?! Ryuuji?! Wake up!" She screamed, shaking him and listening to his chest. He was still breathing. She didn't know what else to do and decided to call the ambulance. She knew his head felt way too hot to be an ordinary fever. As she waited with him for the ambulance, she held his head in her lap. "Stay with me please…" She whimpered, her eyes starting to tear up. "Don't you dare leave me like this…"

**A/N:**

**Well that's it for now. I hope you find this first chapter interesting. Chapter 2 is already in the works, so stay tuned for the next Chapter to this Toradora story! –James of Vale**


	2. Chapter 2: Fragile Dragons

**Eternal Bond of the Tiger**

**A/N: Hello all, I haven't been back to the writing scene in a long time. But I'm making my return with a whole new "Toradora!" Fanfic. I hope you'll enjoy! Please read and submit your reviews! Toradora and all character herein are properties of their respective owners. I own nothing but the original plot for this story.**

**Chapter 2: Fragile Dragons**

Red streaks of light flashed as the ambulance raced through town, carrying Taiga and the unconscious Ryuuji to the nearest hospital. The ride felt slow and painful to Taiga with each minute. Her face was all red and stung with each stream of tears she had cried. Holding his hand in hers, she watched over him during the ride. Various IV's were leading from his left arm to the rod next to the gurney. His face still looked much too pale, that it hurt her to see him this way. "_Stupid dog…I told him earlier in the year to not work too hard…if he had taken it easy more often…" _Her thoughts rambled as she held his hand closer to her face. "_I love you…please don't leave me. You promised me remember? You're the faithful dragon."_ She stroked her fingers through his hair, and gently wiped an icy cloth across his forehead to try to keep him cool as long as possible.

They finally pulled into the hospital and Taiga watched them roll the gurney into the emergency room. The door closed behind the staff as a nurse told Taiga to remain calm and have a seat. Finally having a moment to sit down, all she can do is wait on news about him. There wasn't much she could do. Then she realized she had her phone. "_Ya-chan has got to know what happened."_ She thought as she dialed Yasuko's workplace and told her what had happened. Yasuko was really worried on the other line and told her she'll be there as soon as she can. Hanging up the phone, she noticed how painful the silence was. Looking at the emergency room door, looking around at other people in the waiting room waiting nervously and eagerly on news of their loved ones, the sights and sounds of a hospital emergency ward, was just an overwhelming feeling for Taiga. She started to break down as her tears started to flow even more.

Minori was watching a late TV show in her dormitory that night. She laughed a little at the comedy that was on. As she finished her little laugh, she suddenly felt a feeling of uneasiness. She wasn't sure what it was about but she felt like something serious might have happened or was about to happen. She was jolted back to reality when her phone suddenly chirped with a new text message. She flipped her phone open and saw it was Taiga. As she read the contents, her color started to drain from her face. She didn't know how it happened, but she felt she had to be there to support Taiga. And she wouldn't admit it, but she still was very fond of Ryuuji, and the pain her best friend is feeling appears to be shared on an equal intensity. She grabbed a small suitcase and packed a few days' worth of clothes. She wrote a note to her roommate asking her to inform the school she has to run home for a family emergency for a few days. Rushing out quickly with her items, she headed for the train station in town, trying to catch the last train from Kyoto to Tokyo that night. "Hang on…" She muttered to herself, gritting her teeth, as she fought back her own tears.

Yasuko got there just in time to see Taiga approached by the doctor in charge. "I'm his mother, can you tell us how he is doing?" She asked with anxiety. The Doctor sighed a little and gestured the two of them to have a seat.

He sat down across from them and spoke up, "I've managed to stabilize him." The pair of them let out a sigh of relief. "But he is still unconscious. I've never seen anything like it. I'm having my best team working on blood tests. His body seems to be fighting off something…fierce. We have moved him to one of the rooms. I want to keep him here for a few days, run a few more tests. For now it seems he will be alright, however, I'm not sure how his health will fare from now. Ma'am, since you're his mother, I may need to have the nurse get a sample of your blood to compare and see if this is something hereditary."

Taiga hears the doctor's report and just looks down on her feet as she starts wondering if he will truly be okay. Yasuko sees this and puts her arms around Taiga's shoulders and smiles reluctantly, then telling her that he'll be alright, that they'll find a solution. The doctor asks a nurse to show them to his room and asks another nurse to take Yasuko to the lab to draw some blood. Yasuko tells Taiga to just go ahead and go see him and to stay with him while she handles the blood tests. A moment later, Taiga parted with Yasuko as she followed the nurse to Ryuuji's hospital room.

The nurse finally stopped at a room in the west wing of the hospital building. She gestured Taiga to enter and told her some basic things, like visiting hours, and where to find help if she needs any. Taiga nodded and walked into the room. She looked over towards Ryuuji on the bed in the center of the room. It was a difficult sight for her. She walked closer to his side and gently stroked his face. His temperature seemed to have stabilized. He had an oxygen mask on. She looked over at the vitals machine and from what she can make out, it seems his heart was beating fairly well. Looking back at his face, she noticed that some of his color has returned and he wasn't as pale as he appeared earlier.

"I don't know if you can hear me…but they are doing everything they can to get you fixed up." She said with a heavy breath. Finding a chair, she pulled it close and sat in it, and took one of his hands in her own. "When you passed out, you worried the crap outta me…" She spoke, fighting back her tears. "I couldn't stand to lose you. All those days we spent together was priceless." Taiga gently rubbed his fingers in hers. "I'm sorry I was so foul tempered at times throughout the times, but I know you always saw the real reason behind my gestures." She spoke as a drop started to form on her eyes. "And despite how mean I was to you, you still stayed by my side. That Christmas night, and countless moments where you showed your never ending kindness and care." She looked down at his hand and pulled it closer to her lips as she kissed it. "Please be okay…" She muttered with fear and sadness in her voice. She then laid her head down on the bed next to him, and started to sob as she held that hand, gradually dozing off from exhaustion.

Yasuko was just getting back from the lab after giving a sample of her blood. She found her way to Ryuuji's room and went inside. She found Taiga had apparently cried herself to sleep, still holding Ryuuji's hand, laying her head by his side. "Poor child." Yasuko muttered to herself, fighting back her tears for her son. She felt great heartache to see her son in such a poor state, but she knew she couldn't begin to imagine the pain on his fiancé. She knew Ryuuji meant a lot to Taiga. Yasuko took her jacket off and laid it on the sleeping Taiga and sat down in another chair, watching over the two of them. Unable to fight the tears much longer, she began to sob quietly, and she began to pray to the heavens above, praying for any salvation if there was any, to show itself.

**A/N: And well, there's it for this chapter. Be sure to check back soon for the next chapter to this heart moving story. Thanks all for reading! **


	3. Chapter 3: Tiger's Tears

**Eternal Bond of the Tiger**

**A/N: Hello all, I haven't been back to the writing scene in a long time. But I'm making my return with a whole new "Toradora!" Fanfic. I hope you'll enjoy! Please read and submit your reviews! Toradora and all character herein are properties of their respective owners. I own nothing but the original plot for this story.**

**Chapter 3: Tiger's tears**

Minori looked outside the window as the train sped on the rail towards Tokyo. The darkness of the Japanese countryside at night was beautiful in its own way, but she wasn't able to properly admire its beauty. Her mind still thought about how Taiga was doing. Her mind was filled with worry with Ryuuji's health. She wasn't able to get much information about what had happened. She had texted Taiga about her coming back into town, but she hadn't got a response yet. "_I hope they're alright."_ She thought as she checked her phone again. "_Wonder how I would have reacted if it was me by his side all this time…"_ She let out a deep breath and looked out the window again. "_He's got to be okay…for her sake."_

_Ryuuji seemingly found himself in a dark expanse. Nothing seemed to brighten the area around him. He felt like there was nothing but loneliness in the pitch black darkness. He started to feel a little bit afraid, when he suddenly heard a voice. It was a familiar voice. It felt warm and inviting, piercing the darkness. For a brief moment he struggled to match the voice. The voice gradually got louder and more distinct. Ryuuji realized that voice sounded female, and from the feeling he gets from hearing that voice, he feels like it must belong to someone or something very dear to him. He then had a realization that it was Taiga's voice coming through. Her voice came through, piercing the darkness like a beacon. He couldn't make out what she was saying, so he ran and ran, as close to the voice as possible. _

Ryuuji slowly opened his eyes, and shut them again quickly as the light of the room was blinding him. He opened them again carefully, and started to look around. He was disoriented a little at his surroundings. He then noticed his mother was sleeping fitfully in a chair beside his bed. He then felt a slight squeezing sensation in his right hand. He looked down and he saw Taiga sleeping quietly by his side, still holding onto his right hand, resting her head on the bed. He then put the pieces together. "_I think I recall that I was in the bathroom…what exactly happened?"_ He struggled to keep his eyes open, as for some reason he still felt really fatigued, and his eye lids felt feverish and hot as he blinked. He gently took his hand out of Taiga's hand and gently touched her sleeping head, stroking her hair softly. He noticed that her face was red and raw, and her eyes looked red and puffy, with dried tear streaks all over her cheeks. "_Taiga, you must have been worried senseless."_ He thought as he gently caressed her face, trying to gently wipe the dried streaks clean with his fingers. He held her hand again right after that. Feeling sleep pulling him back into sleep, he closed his eyes again and fell back into a deep sleep.

Taiga dreamt that she was been touched gently by Ryuuji and for a brief moment, it was blissful. She awoke suddenly a moment later as she looked around. She realized where she was and remembered why she was here. She looked over at Ryuuji's sleeping face. "He seems peaceful. And I think his color has improved even more." She spoke to herself quietly. "I hope you'll be okay." She spoke to him. She noticed Yasuko was sleeping on a chair across from her. "She must have been just as worried." Taiga muttered quietly. Reaching into her coat pocket for her phone, she checked the time. The sky outside was still dark. "It's 1 in the morning…I've must have been asleep for a while. Hmm, there's a message from Minorin." She pressed her buttons and displayed the message. "_**Taiga, I'm on my way. I got on the late night train. Will be in town shortly before 2. Which hospital are you at?**__"_ As Taiga read the message, she let out a breath. Smiling a little, she thought to herself, "_Minorin, you were always a kind friend."_ Taiga quickly punched in a response, saying that they were at the St. Luke's hospital, and to call her when she gets there. Hitting the send button, she sighed and looked at Ryuuji once more. She tried to put a smile on her face as she laid her head back down on the bed next to him, tracing her fingers on his palm, writing the words "love you so" over and over.

Minori saw that the train was coming to a stop at Tokyo central station. She stood up when the train stopped and grabbed her bags and got off the train. It was just about to strike 1:40 when she looked around the station. She felt her phone go off and pulled it out. "_**Minorin! Thank you for the gesture! We're at 's International Hospital. Call me as soon as you get here!"**_ Reading the text message, Minori smiled a little and nodded to herself. Running to the exit, she stopped at the edge of the street and looked around for a taxi. There wasn't one at the train station at such an late hour. "Curses." She muttered as she ran down the street, from block to block, looking for any signs of vehicular traffic. Coming around a corner, she finally sighted a taxi and hailed it. Getting in, she closed the door and muttered, "St. Luke's Hospital, and hurry please!" The taxi driver nodded and pulled out into the street. "_Taiga, I'm on my way."_

Taiga was just standing by Ryuuji's bedside, gently touching his hair. Thinking about him and the times they spent together, she began to drift off into her thoughts. Yasuko woke up briefly a moment later and looked around. Seeing Taiga standing beside him, she called out to her. For a brief moment, Taiga didn't respond but after a few more times, Taiga snapped out of her daze as realize that Yasuko was calling her.

"Oh sorry Yasuko, I was spacing out a little. He appears so peaceful. Sleeping softly right here." Taiga said as she looked right back down on Ryuuji. "Did the doctors say anything about him, with the blood sample and all?" She asked Yasuko. Yasuko just shook her head, and said it would take some time to figure it out as they weren't able to figure any significant and obvious signs at first glance. "I see…I hope whatever this is, he'll come out of it soon." Taiga said with a sad tone in her voice.

Yasuko came over next to Taiga and placed her hand on Taiga's shoulder. "I'm sure he will. Our Ryuuji…you know he's always a strong person." Yasuko spoke, trying to comfort the young girl. Yasuko looked down on her son's face and smiled. "He's always found a way to strive, to do his best. And at this moment, he'll definitely pull through." Yasuko looked back at Taiga as Taiga smiled a little bit. "Besides, he definitely doesn't want to see you too depressed." The two women spent a brief moment looking at Ryuuji when Taiga's phone suddenly rang and broke the silence.

Taiga reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone and answered it. "Hello? Minorin! You're here? Ok, wait at the lobby, I'm coming right down!" Taiga said and then hung up. "Yasuko, can you hold the fort down for now? I got to go see Minorin. She's came all the way from Kyoto to lend us her support." Yasuko nodded and Taiga just thanked her and ran outside the room, down the hall and into the elevator. Taiga hit the button for the lobby and waited anxiously for the elevator doors to close. As soon as she got to the ground floor, she walked out into the lobby and scanned the room. She then saw Minori waving her arms at the far end of the lobby. Taiga took off into a sprint and dove into an embrace with minori, her eyes started to tear up again.

"Taiga! I wish we could have been reunited under better circumstances, is he okay?" Minori asked while putting a hand on each of Taiga's shoulders, trying to comfort her.

Taiga looked down and replied, "Not really. He was just fine hours ago. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary." The two of them entered the elevator, and Taiga punched in the floor they wanted to get to. "He just started to behave strangely minutes before he collapsed. We were having our dinner and he just suddenly stopped eating and rushed to the bathroom, throwing up what little he ate. It was…just too much to take…seeing him like…" Taiga started to breakdown as she recalled the harrowing moments when she thought she was going to lose him.

"Taiga…it's okay. He's at a hospital now, and I'm sure they're doing all they can to help him." Minori said as she held Taiga close to her, trying to comfort her best friend, while fighting back her own tears. "He's tough, he'll pull through."

Taiga rubbed her eyes and spoke, "I certainly hope so." The two waited for the elevator to come to a stop and waited on the doors to open. As it opened, the two of them walked out and moved towards the room. As they rounded the corner, they noticed Yasuko standing outside the hospital room in a panic. "What?! Oh no! Please don't…please…"Taiga started to scream as she ran over to Yasuko to see what had happened. "What happened?! What's wrong?" She asks, with fear and urgency in her voice.

Yasuko turned to face the two of them and started to ramble uncontrollably. "He…he…just started convulsing…I think they said he was having seizures. They pushed me out of the room as they went inside…I don't know what to do!"

Taiga now was losing it. Her eyes started to flow like rivers as she dropped to her knees, fear starting to overcome her. Minori knelt beside her and put her hands on her shoulder, telling her to get a grip and not to lose hope. "Ryuuji….Ryuuji….Ryuujiiiii!" Taiga screamed, over and over. The emotions of fear, of losing him, of knowing that she won't be able to stand by his side anymore started to overwhelm her mind. The fearful thoughts fought to overwhelm her rational mind. In her mind, she kept asking God, someone, something, to save his life. "_Ryuuji! I don't want to lose you, please!"_ She repeated those thoughts over and over.

Inside the room, the doctor and nurses were struggling to save Ryuuji's life. It seems half way through his seizure, he stopped breathing and pulse became erratic. "We're losing him! Someone get the defibrillator!" The doctor yelled as he struggled to perform chest compressions, trying to get Ryuuji's heart to start beating again.

_Ryuuji found himself in the darkness once again. He hears a plethora of voices all around him but he was unable to understand any of them. For a moment, he felt like the darkness around him was trying to engulf him completely. Just when it seems like he was going to be engulfed completely, he finally heard a loud piercing voice. Looking towards the voice, he sees a bright light, the only light source in this pitch black madness. As he ran closer to the light, he stops and realizes that it was Taiga. It was a scene that he couldn't tell what was really going on, but it really looked like Taiga was in a state of despair. He saw his mother, kneeling down next to Taiga, trying to comfort the young girl but unable to suppress her own tears. He also notices Minori kneeling on the other side of Taiga, in a state of worry as well. Ryuuji was going to call out to both of them when he started to understand what Taiga was saying. "Ryuuji! I don't want to lose you. Don't leave me! Don't! Please don't. God…anyone…please…don't take my dragon away…" He was unable to sooth her aching heart as he watched her in her state of despair, her eyes flowing freely with her tears. He spotted a tear fall from her face and landed on the ground and within a moment, he was engulfed in a bright light…_

Ryuuji's eyes suddenly popped open, as the bright light of the room stunned and disoriented him. "Thank god, he's stabilized! He's breathing normally again, and his heart rate is returning to normal." A voice said as he looked around. "Doctor? I think he's conscious." Another voice popped in, probably from one of the nurses. The doctor then moved close and shown a flashlight at Ryuuji's eyes, checking each one of them. "Mr. Takasu? Can you understand me? Blink twice if you do." Ryuuji did just that and tried to talk. "Take it easy now, Mr. Takasu. You just had a really bad seizure, and your body stopped breathing for a few minutes. Do you know where you are? You're at St. Luke's Hospital."

A few more moments went by and the doctor walked outside with his staff. Taiga looked up with the other two women. "Is…is…he…" She struggled to ask. The doctor smiled and told them that he's alright now and awake, tired but definitely awake. Taiga quickly ran inside the room and dove into an embrace with Ryuuji. "I was so worried!" She screamed, crying out tears of relief as she started to sob, clinging tighter and tighter to his chest.

Ryuuji smiled weakly and replied, "I'm sorry for putting you through this…" holding her tight, he kissed her forehead as he gently ran his hand through her hair. He kissed her forehead over and over for a few moments and looked up at the doorway. Minori and his mother were standing the door way, relieved that he is alright. He smiled at them weakly and looked back down at Taiga who was still crying uncontrollably. "_What happened to me? What is wrong with me?"_ He thought to himself as he gently stroked her hair some more. Whatever it is that is afflicting him, he surely hopes he can overcome it.

**A/N: Well that's the end for chapter 3. I hope you all enjoyed it. Chapter 4 is now in the works and it will be updated shortly during the next few days. Please write any reviews if you can, the feedback will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.**


	4. Chapter 4: Dragon's Hurdle

**Eternal Bond of the Tiger**

**A/N: Hello all, I haven't been back to the writing scene in a long time. But I'm making my return with a whole new "Toradora!" Fanfic. I hope you'll enjoy! Please read and submit your reviews! Toradora and all character herein are properties of their respective owners. I own nothing but the original plot for this story.**

**Chapter 4: Dragon's Hurdle**

It has been a half hour since Ryuuji woke up. The bed was reclined and he sat there, gently touching Taiga's hair as she sat close to him, resting her head on his chest. He smiled slightly as he ran his fingers through her hair, while engaging in some small talk with her. Ryuuji suddenly felt a cough coming on and turned his head to cough. As he coughed, he grabbed his chest in pain as the sensation shook all over his torso. Wincing in pain, he gritted his teeth as he clutched his chest. "Urghh."

Taiga looked up at him coughing and holding his chest. Worriedly, she gently touched his face and asked if he was okay. She watched him grit his teeth for a moment as he winced in pain for what seemed like a long time. "Should I call the doctor?" She asked him, the concern increasing with each passing moment. He reached over and grabbed her hand and told her it's not that serious. "No! it looks bad, I'm calling them." Taiga said with concern in her voice and reached for the service button and pressed it.

Minori was seated on a chair next to them and she nodded to Taiga. "Takasu-kun. You're seriously sick, we can't just dismiss something like that." She said, her usual chirpy face now replaced by a look of worry and concern for her friends. Minori stood up and went over to Taiga and put her arms around her and tried to reassure Taiga. She looked over to the door opening as the doctor and a couple nurses came through. With that, she and Taiga moved to the corner of the room to give the staff some space.

The doctor came to Ryuuji's side and asked him what was wrong. Ryuuji struggled a bit between the winces of pain and told them that his chest suddenly hurts a lot, accompanied by some dry coughing. The doctor took out his stethoscope and listened to Ryuuji's breathing and let out a sigh. He listened again on different spots and nodded to himself. The doctor spoke up a moment later, "Is breathing hard, Mr. Takasu?" Ryuuji nodded a little. "That's what I thought. Your lungs sound like they are having a hard time expanding. I'm going to have my team prescribe some medication to help you loosen up your lungs. I'm also going want to have you scheduled for an x-ray of your chest as soon as you're comfortable to." The doctor had a nurse go to the pharmacy and bring back the medication.

A moment later, the nurse returns with the medication and a machine to turn the medication into a breathable vapor. Hooking the machine to a power outlet, she then opened a sterile package and removed the breathing tube. Hooking up one end to the machine, she handed Ryuuji the other end. Turning the machine on and added the medicine into one of the machine's ports. Ryuuji took a slow inhale of the vapor produced by the machine and he started to feel a little bit better, as his chest pain started to lessen and him breathing a little bit easier. Taiga looked at him, his face showing signs of relief from his discomfort. She let out a sigh as she smiled. Holding his hand, she smiled at him a little.

An hour has passed and the doctor had Ryuuji wheeled out in a wheel chair. Taiga waited in his room with the others as the medical staff took Ryuuji to the radiology department to take x-rays of his chest. She wasn't sure what they'll find but she hoped that whatever they do find, to be something that can be corrected. A nurse came into the room after a few moments and told them that it will take a little while longer since Ryuuji has agreed to undergo a few more tests. The nurse recommended that they should go to the hospital cafeteria and have a bite in the meantime. As the nurse left, Taiga suddenly noticed that her stomach had been growling since the night before. "I guess I was so worried I forgot to eat."

Minori stood up and nodded. "We should go eat. Especially you, Ryuuji would want you to keep your strength up." With that, she and Taiga got ready to head downstairs. Yasuko told them to just bring something back to the room for her, as she told them she'll wait at the room just in case Ryuuji comes back early from testing. Minori nodded and gestured Taiga to follow as the two of them walked down to the elevator and got in. The two of them got to the cafeteria and ordered their meals. After finding a table, the two of them sat down and started to eat in silence for a few moments.

Breaking the silence, Minori spoke up, "So how have you've been?" Asking her friend a question to try and break the tense and grim atmosphere with Ryuuji falling ill and all. Minori watched Taiga put down her chopsticks and let out a slightly heavy breath. Taiga then smiled at her friend and tapped Minori's hand.

Taiga knew Minori only wanted to help sooth her uneasiness. "I've been okay." Taking a moment to slurp a string of noodles and swallow it, she then continued. "I've been studying hard at that cram school. My scores lately were pretty good. I think I have very high hopes that I could pass the college entrance exam very well. Perhaps good enough to match schools with…" She stopped half way as she wondered if Ryuuji's health will now be a problem for college. Taiga started to tear up a little as she placed her face in her hands. "I'm sorry, but I just can't help wonder if he'll be okay. He appeared to be in such pain just now. I've never felt so scared…"

Minori reached over with her hand and placed it on her friend's shoulders. "It's okay. He's a strong person, and don't forget, _you're_ a strong person too." Minori put on a smile that someone like her could pull off. "This is a hurdle, and the two of you will overcome it." Minori said as she took a bite of her tempura. "Remember that day when the two of you 'ran' away? Somehow you two turned a situation that was pretty bleak into good things." Minori said with a smile. "He told us the day when he showed back up at the school about your plans to not run away and mend relations with your folks." Minori looked down on her plate as she recalled the emotions of that day, when she confronted Ryuuji about why he remained so calm when the teacher had announced Taiga had moved away. "He knew you believed in him and he believed in you as well." Minori smiled upon recalling the memories and looked up. "There were a lot of days, tough days where it looked like he would crumble because you weren't there with him." Minori looked directly at Taiga's face as she spoke, "But he stayed hopeful and cheerful, through the worst of it all." Placing her hand in Taiga's and tapping it gently, she then spoke up. "That's why I know he'll definitely pull through."

Taiga's eyes welled up with tears and she smiled as she laughed a little. "Minorin, you always know what to say." Taiga took another bite of her food and looked towards the window, outside at the sunrise. Watching the scarlet beams of light pierce the dark purple sky, the scene was slowly turning into a beautiful orange color. "You know, the sky reminds me of that cake he made for us. You know, the one with the orange pieces on top?" Taiga smiled as she turned back to Minori. "That cake was sweet and yet a little sour. It kinda reminds me of his love. The sweetness that simply punches its way through the sourness of my unhappiness, and how it blends perfectly like the symbol of how his care seems to make things seem alright in life." She looked back at the orange sunrise and spoke up again, "I really hope so. I really hope that he does overcome this hurdle like you said. I couldn't begin to imagine living without him." Letting out a small chuckle to brighten the mood, "You know, when he's all better, I should learn that cake recipe and try and make it myself." Turning to Minori, she smiled. Minori let out a small laugh and nodded, urging Taiga to really consider baking that cake when this is all over.

**A/n: And that's it for chapter 4. Sorry it took a little longer than expected. I had some busy homework over the week. But stay tuned, as Chapter 5 will be completed soon. Just what is plaguing Ryuuji? Will we find out what it is next? And how will Taiga help him overcome the problems. Until then, stay interested!**


	5. Chapter 5: The long Climb

**Eternal Bond of the Tiger**

**A/N: Hello all, I haven't been back to the writing scene in a long time. But I'm making my return with a whole new "Toradora!" Fanfic. I hope you'll enjoy! Please read and submit your reviews! Toradora and all character herein are properties of their respective owners. I own nothing but the original plot for this story.**

**Chapter 5: The long climb**

Ryuuji sat on a stool in the examination room, his bare chest pressed against the metallic frame that was the x-ray machine. The operator spoke firmly to tell Ryuuji to take a deep breath and hold it. As Ryuuji did just that, he found it a little difficult to breathe in deeply. Wincing a little in pain, he held his breath for as long as he could as the machine hummed and did its thing. The operator then told him to let it out and don't take another breath for the next shot. The whole process was starting to feel tiresome. With the X-ray complete, the operator told Ryuuji the results will be relayed to the doctor. Shortly after, a nurse came and brought a wheel chair for Ryuuji to sit in.

"Mr. Takasu, the doctor would like to draw another blood sample from you to see if there are any new changes. Shall we head to the lab?" Ryuuji left out a sigh and nodded. As she wheeled him to the lab, he thought if Taiga will be okay, with the waiting and the anxiety of not knowing what is wrong with him. He wasn't even sure how he would react to the whole thing. How would it affect him from now on, what can he do to fix it and so on. Such thoughts continued to frustrate him.

Taiga sat in the cafeteria with Minori, the two of them still talking about their fond memories of Ryuuji, and reassuring each other that he will be okay. "I still remember how much effort he put into preparing for my last birthday. He was so thoughtful…" Taiga spoke fondly of him as she recalled those memories. "I was so surprised that night, coming home from class to an amazing sight at the dinner table." She continued as she twirled a bang of hair in her fingers. "I couldn't even begin to imagine the hard work he did to prepare that meal. And the cake, the flowers, everything…it was just breathtaking." Taiga finished those words with a moment of silence as she thought about him for a while. "Well enough of that. Let's finish up our meals and head up stairs, I want to be there when he comes back from the tests." Taiga told Minori and continued eating what was left of her meal.

Ryuuji gently rubbed his sore forearm after they had taken some blood work from him. "Is it supposed to hurt this much?" He asked the technician as he gently rubbed the area, which was covered by a small gauze pad. The area around the gauze pad bandage seemed red and slightly swollen. As Ryuuji touched it, the skin felt quite warm to the touch. Breathing was starting to get wheezy again too.

"Not really, it shouldn't be more than a slight pricking sensation." The technician told him as he worked to label the test sample with the date and time and Ryuuji's information. After he was done, he looked over to Ryuuji and noticed the swelling developing on his arm. "That…isn't normal." The technician said as he took Ryuuji's arm and looked it over. He asked a question to Ryuuji but Ryuuji didn't seem to respond. "Mr. Takasu!"

Ryuuji heard his name being called again and looked over at the technician, with a disoriented expression on his face. "Yea? Pain? Yea, just a little pain in the arm…" Ryuuji didn't finish his words when he suddenly started coughing violently. "It hurts, and it feels like something's stuck to my throat." The technician rushed to grab a pan and handed it to Ryuuji. He then got up and got on the phone and paged Ryuuji's doctor. Ryuuji clutched his chest as the coughs violently and painfully shook through his body. With a few more rough coughs, bloody mucus and fresh bright red blood droplets were starting to cover the bedpan.

Taiga and Minori walked up to the hospital room and went inside. They found the doctor talking to Yasuko about what they speculate the sickness that is plaguing Ryuuji was. The doctor used a computer terminal in the room to check on any updates and he realized the X-ray that Ryuuji had just taken has been sent to him. The doctor opened the file and looked at the image of Ryuuji's chest cavity. "What is it?" Taiga asked worriedly as she walked up to the computer screen.

"I'm not sure...this is something I've never seen before." The doctor hit a few buttons and brought up an image of what a healthy person's chest x-ray should look like. "Now this is a healthy person's lungs." He said as he used the mouse to illustrate the image. "And here is Ryuuji's." The doctor pulled up Ryuuji's x-ray side by side. "Now the darkened areas show signs of lung collapse. Typically, other lung diseases, like asthma, pneumonia, would show similar things too, but for some reason this is unique. It almost seems like it has traits of several familiar conditions and yet it has its own…" The doctor was then interrupted as his cellphone chirped. "Ah, excuse me. Yes, Dr. Moraku speaking. What? My patient? I'll be right there!" Dr. Moraku hung up his phone and quickly called on one of his assistants to follow him. "It seems that Ryuuji has another attack. I'm going to get down there to see what we can do for him. I want you to stay here and try to remain calm." With that, the doctor and his assistant left to assist Ryuuji.

Doctor Moraku arrived beside Ryuuji and listened quickly to his heart rate. Asking the technician that was tending to Ryuuji, the doctor inquired about what had transpired. As they talked, Ryuuji felt like he was in a haze. The conversation felt very difficult to follow as he rolled his head back and forth between the two medical personnel. Feeling weak, tired, and having trouble breathing, Ryuuji mustered as much strength to speak. "What's wrong with me doctor?" The barely audible whispers came out and the doctor turned and knelt beside him. Ryuuji listened to the doctor as best he could before reaching over for the bedpan again, and coughed up more blood. The doctor called some nurses to assist him and wheel Ryuuji to get an endoscopy done.

As the nurses wheeled Ryuuji to an examination room, explained what must be done. "Mr. Takasu, you are coughing up quite a bit of blood. I'm going to inject some medicine into your blood stream, to try and make more clots, and stop the bleeding." Ryuuji watched a nurse take a vial of medicine and put it into a syringe and administered it into Ryuuji's arm. "I'm also going to have you go through this CT scan, to try and identify where's the bleeding is coming from. Hopefully it will be minor and medicine to counter it should be enough, otherwise, we have to wheel you in for emergency surgery." They gave him a cough suppressant as well then prepared him for the CT scan.

Taiga paced back and forth in the room, anxious and growing more worried with each minute. She looked up to the door opening as one of Dr. Moraku's aids came in to deliver the news. The aid told Taiga and the others that Ryuuji is now going through a CT scan to get a closer and detailed look at his lungs. The aid then told them that they could come to the waiting room at the operating room and wait for Ryuuji to finish up. Taiga nodded and immediately urged the aid to hurry and lead the way. Yasuko and Minori followed shortly after as Taiga hurried to the waiting area.

Half an hour has passed and Ryuuji was doing much better, more strength has returned to him. He wasn't coughing as much anymore, and there weren't any blood coming up. As the attendant wheeled Ryuuji into the living room, Taiga ran up to him and held him as tight as she could. "I didn't know what to think!" She muttered, tears streaming from her face. Taiga slowly ran her fingers across Ryuuji's pale face. Ryuuji looked back at her and the two of them just shared a gaze at each other. "When they called to say you were having troubles, I didn't know what else to do." Taiga whispered as she kissed him gently on the lips.

Dr. Moraku walked out of the office and came out with the results. "Well, Mr. Takasu, how are you feeling?" Ryuuji nodded weakly as a response. The doctor then continued with his report, "Well, I did the scan, and luckily, the bleeding wasn't uncontrollable, so you won't require emergency surgery to stop it. Now the issue with your lungs is a whole another issue. The X-rays were unusual, and the scan was able to give me another closer look. I'm not sure what it is, but it's clearly attacking your lungs, and it also seems to be affecting your nervous system and vascular system in some way. There were some signs of damage in your veins, which explains the strange sensation and swelling in your arm as you were drawing blood." The doctor wrote in his PDA and then spoke up again, "I'm going to try and administer some medicine. The blood test results came out and it seems that whatever this is, it isn't a virus or bug of some sort. It may be cancer or an autoimmune disease, or something else entirely, we're not sure, this is something seriously new. What we can do though, is to see if we can control and reverse the symptoms."

They went on with the doctor's suggestion and Ryuuji was wheeled back to his room to rest. Taiga sat beside him on his bed as the nurses provided Ryuuji with a course of medicine. Ryuuji then closed his eyes and tried to rest as Taiga leaned against him. The things that the doctor was saying really got on her mind. Cancer, autoimmune, and a whole bunch of the possible things that Ryuuji has is weighing down in her mind. How would she deal with it? The thought of knowing he might have a terminal illness was horrifying. Minori rested a hand on Taiga's shoulders as Taiga snapped out of her fear for a moment. Reassuring her friend, Minori then suggested that they should get some rest as they have been at the hospital for a really long time. Yasuko nodded and decided that she'll go home. She also offered Minori to let her use the guest room at their residence. Minori thanked Yasuko and was about to ask if Taiga would come home with them, but it seemed that she will not leave his side. "Very well, we'll head home for now. Call us if anything happens alright?"

Taiga looked over at Minori and smiled slightly as she watched her best friend and Yasuko walk out the room. Letting out a sigh, she looked over at Ryuuji and laid her head down beside Ryuuji and closed her eyes. She quickly fell into a deep sleep as exhaustion soon overcame her. In her dreams, she wished that he will recover with full colors. As she slept, small beads of tears began to flow down her soft face. All that's left to do was wait now, to see if there was anything they could do to improve his condition.

**A/N: And that's Chapter 5! Sorry it took some time to post, I was busy with school and other stuff. Stay interested as soon Chapter 6 will be completed. How will Ryuuji fare?**


End file.
